Thursday, December 24, 2009

Christmas Thanks To Everyone

What an interesting season of following the NASCAR TV and media trail. The only way TDP works is with an interactive group of fans, media and public relations professionals who contribute time, effort and information.

Thank you to the TV networks, NASCAR and the wide circle of media members nationwide who represent the new media environment in which we now live. Ramsey Poston and his group at NASCAR have consistently helped us with information and challenged us to get the fans talking about a wide variety of topics.

The public relations professionals at ESPN, Fox Sports, TNT and SPEED have been wonderful in supplying timely information and updates. Sometimes, we have not exactly seen eye to eye on NASCAR topics. However, the bottom line is that information from the NASCAR TV partners reached the fans more directly than ever before.

We will begin looking back after this Christmas break at the TV network coverage, studio shows and weekend programs from 2009. Then, it's on to the new TV season in mid-January.

Finally, we have to thank the absolutely wonderful NASCAR fans. The fundamental truth about NASCAR is that the vast amount of knowledge about the sport comes from the fans. Across the nation, the depth of experience and the passion for racing continues to amaze us on a regular basis. We need only to toss up a topic and stand back.

Officials, media personalities and those directly involved in the sport tell us time and time again about your amazing comments on various NASCAR topics. Now, with Twitter added to the media mix the upcoming season should be the most interactive in the history of the sport.

Thanks to everyone who contributed this season. I hope the holidays allow us all to take a deep breath and gain some perspective. We appreciate your help and support for the past three seasons.

39 comments:

Merry Christmas and thanks to TDP for great information and fun discussions. Your column and Twitter have added a lot to race day and to the days between. It is fun to get tweets from so many involved in the sport as well as other fans.

John, happy holidays to you and your family. Great blog and I try to read all of your twitters. Highlight of TDP in 2009? When you and Michael Waltrip got into a little verbal quarrel. But seriously it was good to have some straight talk on two particular stories, the firing of Weber and the Punch Snoozefest. Great coverage as always. See you next year!

Merry Christmas JD. Thanks for the tremendous effort you put into the blog here, your tweets, and your keeping your eyes open and ears to the ground. An even greater thanks for your sense of humor, air of professionalism in blogging and handling comments, and giving me the time of day with RTs and even occasional LOL! Much success to you as we head into 2010.

Merry Christmas to you, JD, and all the Planeteers. Thank you for providing a place where we can have honest discussions without getting nasty, and all the hard work that entails. Thanks to all the Planeteers for lively comments and the sincere love of racing. Have a safe and happy holiday!

Just wanna wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and wanna say thank you JD for this sight. I stumbled upon this sight earlier this year and have loved every minute i've spent here, especially during the races! I remember many times waking up on Sunday giddy like a kid on Christmas, ready for the race and ready to spend my time here w my friends of Nascar. One word Awsome, and 2010 is going to be one to remember I can feel it. Hope everyone has a safe fun and exciting Christmas!!! 2010 here we come baby

John Merry Christmas to you and your family. Your present to us was continuing your blog. I know that it takes alot of time and effort but I do feel that things are changing and your blog is one of the reasons. Thank you for all that you do.

Mr. Daly, I wish you the best and most joyous Merry Christmas that anybody could ever have. You give so much of yourself to us and I hope it is returned to you many times over.

I wish the very same to all of my fellow Planeteers, even those with which I have disagreed over this past year. Even if we do not always see eye-to-eye, we all care about the same things and we all love racing. Thus, we have much more in common than any differences of opinion that we might have. I always look forward to seeing everybody's comments and you all add so much to this site. I am grateful for the presence of every single one of you.

Now, let us all gather around the virtual TDP dinner table for this year's Christmas supper. On the menu this year...

TDP, I love reading your twitter and your blog. You make my passion, which is NASCAR, even more fun for me! Thanks for all of your insight and humor!! MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and yours!! Cant wait to see what the New Year brings!

Thanks, JD, for this great blog and for giving the fans a place to talk about racing that is fun, informative, interesting and civil. What a concept! I know this is hard work for you but I don't know what I'd do without it.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, JD and to all the Planeteers. I'm looking forward to talking with you all again in 2010.

JD, I just love you and TDP. I have met some great people here. Now some of us are Twitter friends too. This site has made my racing viewing so much more fun. I am so glad that you decided to unretire.

what a 2009 it's been for nascar fans, eh? early on, jd strikes fear into our hearts by threatening to shutter TDP and we all wonder how we'll get thru a year of nascar without our planeteer buddies. and now, lookeee here: ole' jd's an official citizen blogger (altho' without credentials or badge or t-shirt or anything.)

then we discover the joy -- and power! -- of twitter as it connects us to each other, to tnt's broadcasts in realtime and to spotters, drivers, their spouses, their kids, producers and media partners before, during and after races. "tweet-up" enters our lexicon and even brings brian france to meet fans at a track!

(hey gluck? i'm sending you my list of "nascar people i'd like to meet at the next 2 dover tweet-ups" by the first of the year, ok? i think that'll give you enough time to get things firmed up, right?!?)

together, we verbally battled with the networks, some writers and some drivers who stated that we can't think for ourselves -- and we continue the battle even now, in the off-season!

and we supported each other through a whole bunch of life "stuff" that served to remind us that, as much as we love our sport, it's still just a sport. we mourned the deaths of many connected with our sport, we celebrated those who got better and we continue our prayers for those still battling health issues into the new year.

now, we look forward to 2010 together, hoping we'll see both some of our old planeteers come back (stricklinfan, you out there somewhere?) and new names and opinions join us on the blog.

i think i may just have to spend the off-season designing an "I'm a proud planeteer" t-shirt that i can wear to the track!

my wish for all my planeteer buddies is for a wonderful holiday season, filled with great food, fun friends, and peaceful family time.

and to you, jd? not enough words or ways to thank you! what you've created here has no match anywhere -- online, print, radio and television -- and you offer us the gift of your time, talent and insight every time we click into TDP, not just at the holiday. wishing you a terrific christmas and i hope the temperature stays at 70 or better so you don't have to break out the parka and mittens!!

Merry Xmas, JD, and all the passionate planeteers who help remind NASCAR that it's fans like us that support the sport--and deserve to be heard. Wishing everyone a blessed holiday and a wonderful new year--and triumphs for their driver, whomever s/he may be! And Louboutins for those of us who appreciate them!

Thank you JD for starting the blog back up again. The community you have built is easily the best one in racing.

Thank you to all who post for the most insightful, touching and humorous notes week in and week out.

As the great Robert Earl Keen sings :

Carve the turkey turn the ball game onIt's Bloody Mary'sCause We All Want One!Send somebody to the Stop 'N GoWe need some celery and a can of fake snowA bag of lemons and some Diet SpritesA box of Midols, some Salem LightsHalelluja, everybody say cheeseMerry Christmas from the Family

Merry Christmas to you JD and all the folks at TDP. Special thanks to you JD for keeping this site a family friendly place where you don't tolerate the bad language and people bashing.

I've enjoyed the last three seasons where we've seen quite a few changes, which I feel we had a direct link to, and am looking forward to the next how ever many years for the networks to finally get it right. We're not done yet.

Boy, it's been a year to both remember and forget. I know I haven't been on the race blogs from the late part of the season (blame EvilSPN and their Chaseism), but when I did participate, it was fun. Think I'll make being on here for race days one of my resolutions!